Your Excellency Mr Daniel Woker;
Mr Marco Giacometti;
Mr Kwok Kian Chow, Director, Singapore Art Museum;
Ladies and gentlemen;

Good evening. I am delighted to join you for the opening of the “Seeing. Feeling. Being: Alberto Giacometti” Exhibition. I would also like to extend a warm welcome to our special guests and friends from Switzerland.

2 Tonight’s exhibition of over 100 pieces of Alberto Giacometti’s works is a celebration of one of the greatest masters of modern European art. This is the first time that Singapore is hosting a major exhibition of Giacometti’s works. We are very happy to see this exhibition in the Singapore Art Museum. It contributes to the growing vibrancy of the arts and culture in Singapore and offers Singaporeans and visitors a rare opportunity to experience such great works of art.

Singapore-Switzerland Cultural Relations

3 This exhibition is also a celebration of the warm and friendly relations between Singapore and Switzerland. We see Switzerland as a role model and a source of high value-added investments as well as a centre of excellence in biomedical and technological R&D. We are also delighted that a number of Swiss companies already considered Singapore as a gateway to the region.

4 Our countries also have good cultural relations with regular exchanges in the arts and culture sector. I am happy to note that these exchanges have grown over the years. For example, the Zurich Symphony Orchestra, Theatre Vidy-Lausanne, and Urban Drum N’Bass had performed in past Singapore Arts Festivals. Thanks to Ambassador Daniel Woker, we also enjoyed the highly successful Durrenmatt Festival in 2004 – a celebration of the works of Friedrich Durrenmatt, one of Switzerland's greatest writers. Those of us who had the privilege of watching the performance would not forget Ivan Heng in the “Return of the Tai Tai”. More recently, faculty and students from three Swiss architecture schools showcased the unique Swiss design and landscape at “Inventioneering Architecture – a design installation” with parallel lecture series during the Singapore Design Festival 2007.

5 Singapore artists have also benefited from opportunities to perform and exhibit in Switzerland. Theatreworks, for example, was invited to perform at the Zurich Festival in 2003. Such exchanges help to inspire and energise our artists. More importantly, such exchanges also bring the arts communities of Singapore and Switzerland closer together, leading to a better understanding and appreciation of each other’s arts and creative culture.

Giacometti in Singapore

6 Alberto Giacometti was last featured at “Icons in Red and White: A Swiss-Singaporean Celebration” in the National Library two years ago.

7 This exhibition’s theme “Seeing, Feeling, Being” is especially apt. For Alberto Giacometti, the concept of “seeing” – what we see, or what we think we see, was a theme that motivated his art throughout his life. More than just what he saw, Giacometti’s works are also imbued with intense feelings, the result of a new way of seeing that was sincere and reflective of the poignancy of his experiences. Through this combination of a sincere vision and feeling, his works can be experienced as an exploration of human nature. In this way, his works are powerful, transcend cultural differences and are easily accessible across diverse cultures and people.

8 Like other great artists, Giacometti reminds us of what it means to be human. As we go through our hectic daily lives doing our work, interacting with our friends and family, we need to be reminded of the beauty of simply being alive, of existing. The joy of “being”, along with its complexities and the illuminations that it brings about, is what people all over the world can share, regardless of differences in cultures or religions. Giacometti’s art helps us to recall what it truly means – to see, to feel, and just simply, to be.

Conclusion

9 In conclusion, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Ambassador Daniel Woker for his strong support in this artistic collaboration. His personal commitment had helped to foster stronger artistic and cultural links between Switzerland and Singapore. I would also like to convey my deepest appreciation to Credit Suisse, and many others who have contributed to making this exhibition possible.

10 It now gives me great pleasure to declare the Alberto Giacometti Exhibition open.